>> for moshe a decade in youtube postings. >> and she called herself the god-ologist and one poster noted when she looked in the mirror it would reason dog. well, genius, not quite. >> that's it for me. thanks very much for joining us. i am wolf blitzer in "the situation room." the news continues next on cnn. good evening. i am john king. mitt romney says he would have ordered the raid that led to the death of osama bin laden. president obama passing a smile says past statements suggest otherwise. the president refuses to confirm that a high level chinese disdent is being protected by the united states in bejing, a foreign policy challenge as delicate as they am come and afriendship with a rocky beginning is flourishing in 2012.

>> begin with knuckled politics and how the obama campaign framing the anniversary of the u.s. raid that killed osama bin laden. they're asking whether mitt romney would have issued the same order to secretly send u.s. forces into pakistan and based on something romney said back in 2007, team obama claims the former massachusetts governor's answer would be no. the new hampshire today the former massachusetts governor strongly took issue. >> ♪ >> would you have given the order, governor? >> even jimmy carter would have given that order. >> followed that answer a short bit later and president obama paused, smiled, and you might say twisted the knife. >> i said that i would go after bin laden if we had a clear shot at him. i did.

if there are others who have said one thing and now suggest they would do something else, then i would go ahead and let them explain it. >> with us are white house correspondent brie eleer. >> you saw the president smile there. you were there in the room. what's at the white house and the broader campaign's strategy for teelg and some would say using bin laden for political gain. >> they want to frame this as one of the president's defining accomplishments and they're setting up this whole narrative that he made a tough call. it paid off. it was something that generally speaking the country could rally behind and they want to make sure that mitt romney can't really minimize what is a big accomplishment here. he they also want a contrast between president obama and mitt romney trying to show that he wouldn't have had really the wherewithal to make this exact same decision. while mitt romney obviously can

emphasize that he has executive experience, john, and you know how important this is in a campaign, he does not have the foreign policy experience that president obama has. this is just sort of the incumbent advantage, something that the obama campaign and the white house want to preserve and you really see them pushing this not only in that video that came out today really framing his campaign ahead of the kick off on saturday, but also in this interview they're doing with nbc news where they gave nbc news a lot of access to "the situation room" ahead of the big anniversary tomorrow. >> said he wouldn't spike the football and a lot of people view that as spiking the football, maybe once, maybe twice. that's how it goes. let he me read something. governor romney said this in 2007, among other things, when the president said if he had a clear target in pakistan he would go after osama bin laden, then governor romney said i do not concur in the words of barack obama in a plan to enter an ally of ours. i don't think those comments help in this effort to draw more friends to our effort. ironically a lot of criticism

about george w. bush's cowboy diplomacy doochlt they regret those words and wish they could have them back. >> i think they're trying to turn back on the president. when the president talks about who other folks would do i think the new rule is he is talking about mitt romney. i asked the romney campaign for a statement on what the president had to say today and they did not directly talk about 2007. they said, look, it is a cheap political ploy on the part of president obama to distort governor romney's strong policies on the war on terror. i tweeted that statement out and ben, spokesman for the re-election campaign within minutes tweeted back to me saying what policy on counter terrorism did governor romney ever outline. this is happening in realtime going back and forth quickly and the one thing that should be noted is that when mitt romney made those comments back in 2007 about moving heaven and earth to get one person, he was asked about that at the debate a few days later after he made the comments and he did say, quote,

unquote, we will move everything to get him. i guess at that time governor romney did try to move away from the comments after senator mccain called him naive and safe to say he won't be able to take the words back and they'll dog him for a while. >> and the intensity, april 30th turning to may and feels like september and october. thanks so much. we'll watch for this in the days ahead. dramatic details about a chinese disdent escape from house arrest and harrowing journey to bejing where he may now being preked. according to a supporter he climbed over eight walls and a dozen barriers by himself tripping and falling hundreds of times and supporters say in the course of 19 hours. the supporter also tells reuters the ultimate goal is not to seek refuge in the united states but stay in china where he has been jailed and persecuted for objecting to policy of forced abortion and sterilizations.

chen's sheltering could jeopardize the talks between chinese officials and top u.s. officials including the secretary of state hillary clinton. when asked about chen at a white house news conference president obama was very careful saying just this. >> every time we meet with china, the issue of human rights comes up. china will be that much more prosperous and strong as you see improvements on human rights issues in that country. >> joining me with more perspective on this fascinating story is the former under secretary of state nicholas burns. the president asked about this, the world is watching, the community is watching and he says i am aer with a of the press reports. we know the president has been briefed on this. we know the president sent a high ranking dip low plat to bejing to sort this out. why? >> i think the administration is doing the right thing in this respect. if we talk about this with china privately, not under the glare of the international spotlight and press where more likely to arrive at the solution that we

want and that is the continued freedom and security of jen chang. the full glare of now the public attention is on this, and we are the champion of human rights and only one outcome here. the united states has to protect him but our ability to do so is probably through quiet negotiations, not through acknowledging this publicly and making it public. >> is there only one outcome and how do you weigh this as a diplomat? china is critical comes to iran, syria, critical comes to north korea. are there other competing pressures on the president or does he have a choice here. >> it is the most important relationship in the world, bar none. the global economy, iran, north korea, syria, normally you have to balance human rights versus the more concrete interests. in this instance with all the world trained on this issue, on this man right now, i think given the legacy of the united states, that for 200 years now

we have been the champion of human rights and when it is at stake publicly, i think only one option that we have to support him. >> let's listen. he posted this dramatic video direct straight to the chinese leadership. he escaped and he is worried about his family. >> they broke into my house at more than a dozen men assaulted my wife. they pinned her down and wrapped her in a blanket beating and kicking her for hours. they also violently assaulted me. >> if the chinese come into the meetings and say he doesn't want to leave china, he's publicly said, release him to us and everything will be fine. can you trust that. >> absolutely not, not given the record of the chinese government on human rights, one of the worst offenders in the world on human rights, religious rights, woerk worker rights. if he wants to cleave china and seek a new life in the united states or elsewhere, it is a relatively easier solution, i think, for all sides. if he decides --

>> the chinese would find a way to look the other way. >> they would find this embarrassing and humiliating and probably the least of that option for him. >> if he does not want to leave china and the united states does not want to take the risk of being humiliated and releasing him and having god knows what happened, does he stay in the embassy or stay in some u.s. compound for five years, ten years, 20 years. >> ultimately that's one option to keep him under u.s. custody if he is in u.s. custody. the government has not acknowledged that. think of the history. fon joour was a refuge in the 1990s. cardinal mind zst s glchlt enty lived in the embassy for years. i don't think the united states government will give up this man unless he agrees to leave and unless he and the embassy and our government both believe that his security can be protected. >> the importance to the president here. he obviously has other bigger, grander foreign policy challenges whether it is iran, the arab spring, the bigger relationship with china.

how important is this one man and episode. >> i think extraordinarily important. all the concrete interests are important. our creditability, our narrative as a country rests in being a champion of human rights and freedom. here is a man that put his life on the line to approach the united states and say please, help me, i think in these circumstances those other interests subside in importance and this one is in the forefront and i will bet i am sure the administration will do the right thing here because the stakes are too high for our country. >> appreciate it. >> thank you. >> just a bit we'll speak with the u.s. base activist in touch with him and says he is disappointed with president obama's response today. the obama campaign is rolling out a new slogan. next, will forward make us forget hope and change? major airlines unusual and some say risky move to control the fuel cost. i'm always looking out for small ways to be more healthy. like splenda® essentials™ no calorie sweeteners.

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the re-election campaign rolled out a brand new 7 minute web video and a full minute is nothing but scrolling text of what they want you to remember from the last three plus years of his presidency and even make

news at the end unveiling the new campaign slogan for 2012. see if you catch it. >> i believe america is on the way up. thank you. god bless you. god bless the united states of america. >> change we can believe in now replaced by forward. will it have the same ring at hope examine change and yes, we can. here to give us a lesson, kurt davis, republican media consultant and in seattle frank greer, democratic media consultant and partner at gmmb communications and advertising. fred davis, you're on the opposing side. has forward put fear in your heart? >> didn't really put fear in my heart. it is i think a hip thing. i like short slogans. it sounds great. to me, on my side of the aisle, it is the kind of thing you talk about when you can't talk about what came in the pastor what you

have done in the last three years. >> address that. >> i have got to say that as you pointed out, we have a seven minute video that does a very good job of explaining an amazing record of accomplishments for this president in the face of a no congress and in the face of incredible partisan opposition. now we're in a choice, you know, period, where you have to choose, do you want to go forward? do you want to continue the forward momentum or do you want to go back? i think it is a powerful choice and a pretty powerful slogan. >> that's where the rub is, fred, on the one hand you can say president obama wants to you look forward because you doesn't want to you look back at his record or at least the economy the last few years but as frank notes the central theme, the president's team thereabout electing mitt romney is going back to george w. bush. in that sense does it work? >> we did the same campaign for arnold schwarzenegger a few

years ago and ran all the footage backwards and it was very successful then. i am not sure it will be successful now. he left out two things. i love the film. i think it is beautifully made, frank and jim do wonderful work. a friend of mine this morning said why didn't they run a debt ticker across the top? there is the missing piece. yes, he's had accomplishments. has he bankrupted the company and forced us into class warfare while he was doing it? >> i want you to listen and go back. this is an obama ad from 2008 and the president himself acknowledges the circumstances. first, let's listen. >> we are one people. we are one nation. together we will begin the next great chapter in the american story with words that will ring from coast-to-coast, from sea to shining sea, yes, we can. >> you see the power there, frank and fred at the

aspirational, very inspirational candidacy of then senator obama and listen to a recent fundraiser. >> it is not a trendy to be involved in the obama campaign as it was back then. some of you, you know, rolled up the hope posters and they're in a closet somewhere. >> is it harder, frank greer, as you're messaging for this particular democratic candidate because of the his toric nature and the aspirational nature, how much harder is it to say give me four more? >> i think first of all you need to portray the accomplishments and i think this video that was released today begins to do that and i think you need to remind people what a difficult situation was that he inherited and i think you have to remind people what it was like before obama, so it is a slogan that says foward, but it can be most a forward motion with hope for

the future. it is certainly is not a time that america wants to go back or turn back the clock. >> and, fred davis, ronald reagan had morning in america. he had a much more robust economy at the beginning of his re-election even thoed he had been through very tough times early in the presidency. in terms of uncertainty about the economy, you say you appreciate the slogan. how much difficult dash how dependent i guess is this president on the economic numbers starting to get better? >> i think the economic numbers right on the surface, the ones that the average guy doesn't spend a lot of time studying the economy sees are beginning to get better. there is a small decrease in gas prices right now. the stock market is doing really pretty well. numbers can always be manipulated but unemployment right at the top level is beginning to decline. as long as he can get the emphasis on the curse sigh numbers, i think he has an easier path to hoe than looking

back over. one thing i enjoyed in the seven-minute movie there is one sentence, maybe two, on obama care. that's going to be a little more -- it will have more attention from our side, i think, than one or two sentences. >> i suspect as i enclose ez this conversation it will get more taepgs going forward. >> exactly. >> frank greer. >> see how well it works. >> it works fine. appreciate your help tonight. we'll revisit this in the days and weeks ahead. when we come back, the jury at the john edwards trial had to be sent out of the courtroom today. one of the witnesses couldn't stop crying. update from the courthouse in just a little bit. next, history making day in the new york city skyline.

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welcome back. >> hello, john. good evening, everyone. get you caught up on headlines. a ferry crousing a river in northeast india sank today. the bbc reports about 300 people were aboard when it went down. officials say at least 40 people died and 100 others are still missing, about 35 passengers rescued. reuters reports the ferry had no life boats or life preservers. a pair of car bombs killed at 20 and wounded 100 others in a syrian city of idlib and one targeted a security building and they quickly blamed terrorists. an opposition group accused the government of staging the

explosions, a third explosion later in the day caused no casualties and is blamed on a roadside bomb. for the first time the obama administration is publicly defending its uses of unmanned drones to kill militants saying the attacks are legal under international law. pakistan has condemned the use of drones that often result in civilian casuals. the counter terrorism advisor says u.s. forces try very hard of course to protect innocent civilians and he calls the attacks, quote, unfortunate fact. the one tower monday lift the new one world trade center over taken the empire state building as the tallest building, seeing it happening right there. a steeled column was installed on the 100th floor of the structure making it new york's tallest sky scraper by 21 feet. construction is set to finish in early 2014. the building is expected to retch even higher to almost 1,800 feet. remember last week talking

about this, the lead up and everyone was excited and we saw the time lapse. >> looks good. i think eventually when it is done people will go to the top and have an overlook and you see a live picture, beautiful. at the moment i think they will go up the empire state building for longer because they will be nervous up there. >> that would be advised. >> when i went up, 70 something, it was fun. you go up in the construction elevator and it is windy up there. great view for me. >> high enough for me. >> you can see lady liberty. >> you don't have to have a fear of heights to have a respectful fear going up that high. trying to book a flight lately? you're not the only one suffering from sticker shot. one airline's move to hold down fuel cost and an activist that says he is disappointed with president obama's reaction to the escape of a blind chinese disdent.

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a major airline prepares a drastic step to hold down fuel prices. we'll ask if your ticket prices will go down if delta buys its own oil refinery and a tearful witness in the john edwards trial and the troouts about why bill clinton is eager to lend a hand and his name to president obama's re-election campaign. >> dramatic announcement. delta airlines it plans to spend

millions to buy an oil refinery in pennsylvania. the ceo calls it a modest investment and innovative approach to managing the biggest expense. fuel prices. will this bring air fares down, is that the goal? >> it is going to make things cheaper in the long run for delta, whether they choose to make it more competitive by bringing airfares lower or where they would otherwise be and make more profit remains to be seen. this is an interesting story. for those of you that are flown into philly, there is a refinery around the airport and it was idle and some people wanted to turn it into a terminal. it would have taken out refining capacity and made that much cheaper and this refinery was on sale at one point for about a billion dollars and delta bought it for 150 million dollars and they will run it with a refinery company and they don't have to worry about it and mostly jet a fuel, one of the highest markets

that you can make at a refinery and you make all sorts of things and you make oil for heating your home. you make gasoline. you make diesel and jet fuel. they will sell the excess they don't make and sell the extra products they make and they think it will save them 300 million a year. the magic question is where does that $300 million go. to the bottom line, the shareholders, or the price of gas. the price of a ticket, unclear, but it does give delta an advantage over the other airlines. >> all of the airlines complain about this, the wild fluctuations. they say it is hurting profits and i saw earnings report last week they blame this on when the earnings go down so the question will other airlines follow suit. >> it is interesting. you have to have the heft to do this. they're a big airline with a lot of cash. united and continental have gone through a merger. u.s. air and american in bankruptcy. u.s. air constantly as turmoil going down. delta amongst the carriers is in

the best position to deal with this. southwest deals with oil and hedging in a different way. it is innovative, john. it is different. oil is a third of delta's expenses. usually fluctuates with staffing as the biggest expense but right now oil is the biggest expense and it is an innovative way of looking at things. yet to be seen whether it works out entirely. it does look like they thought this through and they have been working for a while. we'll have to wait and see whether it lowers ticket prices but definitely gives delta an edge. >> keep an eye on it and my guess is most consumers are skeptical. it is innovative. very interesting. appreciate your time tonight. >> my pleasure. >> more explosive testimony in the case against john edwards and the question of whether the former presidential candidate knowingly used came pain money to highs his affair and cherry young took the stand, the wife of andrew young and he initially claimed he was the father of hunter's baby and diane, a special correspondent following every step and joins me now. i want to get to cherry young said something very interesting

today. she said her husband was trying get ler to deposit the checks in her bank account and part of this coverup and he was concerned it was illegal and said she insisted john edwards, she had to speak to john edwards and she said this, i heard mr. john edwards tell me on the phone that he checked with the campaign lawyers and this is legal. get the money in. he was very short and very angry. not only is that powerful testimony, diane, if she is selling the truth, john edwards not only knew about this but was deeply involved in it. >> if she is telling the truth, he was smack in the middle of it. in the opening statement from his attorneys we heard he had this problem and andrew young was helping him out and he didn't know what the money was or where it was going. this is in direct contradiction to that. cheri young was so compelling on the stand today, i tell you, i think it was the most compelling testimony we have heard so far. >> take us inside. among the questions she had to answer is what was it like to essentially go along about your

husband that originally came forward and can said it is my baby? >> yeah. there was a lot of matter of fact story telling in there. we heard a lot about rielle hunter's quirks and all that far and when they got to the prosecutors saying what was your response when your husband asked or told you the senator wanted him to claim paternity? she said i was mad. i said this is crazy. i started to scream and curse at him and then of course that's exactly what andrew young decided to do, and at that point she started to cry and teerd up a little bit in certain parts of they are testimony and pretty stressful time up there in the with itness box and now she put her hands on her face and her shoulders started to go and her face turned bright red and actually the judge excused the jury so that that would give her time to compose herself. it was probably the most emotional we'll see her. >> at one point she had to discuss rielle hunter coming to their home.

tell us about that and how significant is that point? >> yeah. she told a story of -- i knew this was an affair before my husband did, and i just seen her on the stage but there came a night when she came to their home, a gated community home to hide. the media found her. this was the perfect place. she had i worked all day to get the house ready. she comes in late at night. she gets into our entryway and takes a spin around and says i am here. and that's just the way she delivered the testimony. i have to tell you, because of the way she speaks, the jury listened to her very, very closely all day. she said she arrives at my house, doesn't say hello. she just says i'm here, and she said i was so intimidated i did anything and everything that woman asked me to. >> fascinating day of testimony at what it has been so far. fascinating trial. appreciate your help. stay in touch. thank you. more on the top stories, a

chinese dissident escapes from house arrest and is said to be hiding inside the u.s. embassy in bejing. hillary clinton is scheduled to leave for china tonight. when she was asked about chen guangcheng she says she looks forward to discussing human rights issues with officials. it is set for a tug of war between the two countries. joining me is bob fu, the president of the human rights group campaigning for chen's freedom. you call him your hero and friend and the president of the united states of the asked about him today, and this is what he said. >> i am aware of the press reports on the situation in china. i am not going to make a statement on the issue. >> does that disappoint you, the president of the united states had a chance to speak out for your friend here and decided to say i am not going to say anything? >> it is a little disappointing. i understand president obama has a delicate situation and may

cause problems and i always wish the u.s. politicians would support, i mean equivocally for all of those persecuted instead of trying to spare the feeling of the persecutors. >> you believe if the united states tells him your only choice, shirr, is to come to the united states and we will try to work that out, will he accept that or is he so determined to fight the fight he mate say no? >> i believe he will accept that. i think after all he does care about the safety and freedom for him and his family and he has suffered so much already for the past seven years with brutal treatment and imprisonment and house arrest with his family members. >> as we watched this delicate situation play out, what do you think the message is to other dissidents, other chen guangchengs in china and

elsewhere that the president of the united states refused to say his name and stand up for him publicly? >> that is a little discouraging message that it seems when the president get opportunities he should express his unwaivering solidarity with the persecuted and with the freedom fighters as he expressed in his inauguration address and secretary clinton expressed her concern, her appeal for chen's freedom, but i understand there is a sensitivity with the diplomatic negotiations going on, and i don't think at the end of the day there you be sh a solution reached to be reached by both countries. that's the best interest for all parties. >> what do you think is going on inside the leadership? can they let him leave? >> they are trying to find fast

or speedy decision or response maybe in the next few days. after all, i don't think in their eyes they want a so-called troublemaker to be staying in china to continue to occupy the headline and i think the u.s. is willing to help chen and his family. >> appreciate your time and insights tonight. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> the truth about where bill clinton and barack obama are getting along better this year than back in 2008. this is $100,000.

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bill clinton suddenly seems everywhere again, here this past weekend helping president obama raise a boat load of money and an obama campaign web video suggesting maybe mitt romney wouldn't have had the guts to order the raid that ended up killing osama bin laden. >> we had to decide and that's what a president is to do. you hire the president to make the calls when no one else can do it. >> tonight's truth is proof that politics does inneed make strange bed fellows and a reminder they haven't always seen eye-to-eye. they had public debates with the obama campaign in 2008 including this response to complaints the clintons were playing the race kward in south carolina. >> he put out a hit job on me,

same time he called over the senator and i never said a word. i don't care about it today. >> days earlier in the n forr psident said senator e obama was grossly exaggerating his opposition to the iraq war. >> give me a break. this whole thing is a biggest fairy tale i have ever seen. >> senator obama, well, quick to respond. >> this has become a habit and one of the things that i think we're going to have to do is to directly confront bill clinton when he is not making statements that are factually accurate. >> there is more but this relationship had a rocky start but it is more healthy now. the benefits for president obama are many. president clinton has a deep fundraising effort and many voters recall the economy was a lot stronger in the clinton days and for president clinton being a leading bam surrogate gets him

back in the game he loves so much. there is a potential downside. an obama win some democrats say would make a hillary clinton presidency less likely. if he loses and she is interested, she could start moving around the country next year and would be a far away front-runner for 2016. it should be noted he still tells friends don't count her out. he also ascribes to the ony lekds at a time approach and it is clear he wants a big a role as possible in this one. what are the implications of face time in this cycle and does it have an impact down the road? michael crowley, bureau chief and maria cardona who knows them quite well and tori clark and senior advisor for the comcast corporation. i want to go to you first. they didn't get along in 2008 much there was a tough campaign, but to the conspiracy theory among democrats that if obama loses, hillary could move around

the country right away and if he wins unseemly, 2016 still an open race in that scenario and unscenely to go to iowa and new hampshire right away. does it make a difference? >> i don't think it makes a difference at all. what democrats are interested in is making sure president obama is re re electricitied and everybody knows how popular and beloved president clinton is and look, you're right, four years ago there was some bad blood among them. look what happens when you make hillary secretary of state. a lot changes in four years. big bridge building right then and there. president clinton not only reminds people of the last great economic expansion we had when a democratic president was empowered but president obama is following in the footsteps, policy wise as well as tactics wise and i think that is a good thing for the democrats in general. >> as a former president and loves, loves the game of politics and so he seems to be having fun. is that what this is?

>> i think part of it is he loves doing it. you watch him and listen and go he is a born natural. i was watching the clips before hand and i was thinking john mccain has a great line that i have stolen, the words i utter today be sweet for tomorrow and i may have to eat them and nobody does it better than politicians. we'll kick, fight, and the next day, i need you, let's go. i think that's part of it an being cynical, hillary appropriately is keeping her options open. what would be better in 2016 than to have former new president obama on the campaign trail for you raising money for you. i think there is chits being exchanged here. >> joe and jill biden will call you momentarily. those clips were playing and you were mouthing the clips even before they rolled because you remember. this was the clinton-obama and the bill clinton role in the race was so important in 2008 and they're best buds now. >> they are. the lines were so indelable and the anger and the frustration and resent meant he felt at that time and remarkable to say how

faf we came to this point. he went hard against obama and it was not clear but i think number one he cares. i think he really wants democrats to win. he is doing his part, and number two i think he is rehabilitin his reputation. he is winning them back over. he probably is thinking about 2016 as well. i think he is a great -- very effective advocate for obama and doing himself a favor at the same time. >> go ahead. >> and in addition to strategy and fundraising and tactics, stand in for the rope line, john, is what they need president clinton for. no one better at that. >> and running for very long days. >> that's what i mean. >> he looks great now. in the 1992 campaign he gained 40, i probably gained 3r5 and a lot of doughnuts and pizza. some people say that former presidents, unique club, need to be careful, and does he cross lines to be so involved in politics? >> no, i don't think so at all. i think it comes back to how much he loves it and wants to be a part of the game. it shows.

think about middle class voters in ohio and florida and places like that. who do they want to see come visit them and campaign? >> another quick point. i am sure he loves the fact obama needs him now. in '08 he was resentful and that clip we mentioned and didn't like obama stealing the clinton thunder and i think there is a little here i am, now you need me. >> bill clinton has appeal to the voters with whom barack obama has long had a problem. everybody stand by and we'll continue the conversation in a moment. coming up at the top of the hour, eerin, you will tell us wy this man may soon be a household man. >> aubrey mcclendon, from oklahoma, one of the wealthiest in the country and right now at the center of what some analysts say could be, well, the next enron. we'll talk about exactly what is going on and what's happening and frankly how this could happen. here is a hint of what we'll talk about at his company, the second largest in the united

states and reuters reports among the perks are free botox injections at work. sound too good to be true? it just might be. we're going to tell you the story of aubrey mcclendon at the top of the hour. >> i can't wait. i want to connect the dots. i will be watching to up with a you connect the dots. erin, see you in a couple minutes. another pair of rivals that decided to work together and could have a huge impact on the e-book market and a moment you missed features the first lady and may remind you of the title of a hit movie but they're real heroes.

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we're back with michael crowley and maria cardona and tory clark. one of the big stories in politics today is the politics of bin laden and governor romney is insisting the obama people have their web video up with the former president bill clinton saying mitt romney wouldn't have had the courage to do the big raid. governor romney was asked today if you got that briefing, would you have said yes? >> governor, you would have gone after bin laden? >> of course. >> you would have given the order, governor? >> of course. even jimmy carter would have given that order. >> even jimmy carter there, governor romney says. well, president obama was asked about that in his white house news conference today, saying he suggests that governor romney is being full disclosure. >> i just recommend that everybody take a look at people's previous statements in terms of whether they thought it was appropriate to go in pakistan and take out bin laden.

>> i assume that people meant what they said when they said it. >> now, if you go back, tory clark, to the 2008 campaign, governor romney did say when he thought then senator obama said he would order strikes into pakistan without their knowledge, he said, they're our friends. got to be careful about that. then he also said in other debates, if he had good intelligence, but he did say some things, fair game? >> you know what, i've been watching this all day long. and i'm so offended that the president of the united states and the person who wants to be the president of the united states are bickering over something like this. it has shades of a "saturday night live" skit, who's more macho. it's awful. completely disrespectful for the issues at hand. they ought to be watching a report that nic robertson did earlier on this network, which we did on current and comprehensive and detailed plans by al qaeda, currently in operation, to kill thousands and thousands of people. and people like us ought to be saying to the president, what are you going to do about that? don't take me back a year and

bicker over the semantics. tell me how we're going to deal with the challenges we're facing today. i just found the bickering back and forth really distasteful. >> a lot of people would take that argument, and this president, he was president, when bin laden was killed. he gets the credit for that. he did say back in the last campaign when hillary clinton raised it up, it has no role in our politics. he did say after the raid, no spiking the football. >> except for, he said no spiking the football, but when the other team accuses you of not having won the football game, i think you can take that football and just remind the other side that they would not have even used the playbook that was used to win that football game. which is exactly what's happening. romney's words basically indicate that he probably would not have done it, given the circumstances. if he wants to take back those words today john, then that's fine. that's his prerogative. and it probably would be par for the course for him. but he said those words. so i think that comparing those words with the current situation and what he would have done is completely fair game. especially when the other side is also accusing him of being a weak leader. >> it was not only just what the

president said today, michael, it was sort of how he said. he was slow, he was deliberate, he cracked a little smile at one point, go back and look at what governor romney said. he's enjoying this. >> he's really enjoying it. he knows he has the upper hand. i thought the jimmy carter shot was kind of pat. it was sort of a cliche, called democrat jimmy carter. jimmy carter order admission somewhat similar to this in iran, and that failed, this one succeeded. i don't think it was a great attack. but john, this is not really the key question anymore. we've been through this debate for a long time, we know all about the decision. the issue now is the ongoing drone war against al qaeda. you know, obama's expanding the drone war, we have more liberal rules of engagement, so to speak. the bar for blasting the terrorist from the air is lower. we're doing it in yemen, we're doing it in somalia. it would be much more interesting to hear a conversation between the candidates about that and whether you can kill an american civilian with a drone without judicial progress. i think it's time to move past the bin laden debate, and let's talk about the larger drone war that is the new phase against al qaeda. >> i hope as we get past the

anniversary, maybe we can do that. substance in the campaign. we'll see if that happens. fwlo gloria, maria, michael, thanks for coming in. here's kate balduan back with the news you need to know. >> athletes and tourists aren't the only visitors coming to london for the 2012 summer olympics. a leaflet being handed out in some neighborhoods tell residents that anti-aircraft missiles are being placed on nearby rooftops as part of stepped up security measures. needless to say, some locals are not too happy about their new neighbors. and microsoft is investing $300 million into barnes & noble's ebook market. they're looking to merge its digital and college book market into a new unit and microsoft will have a more than 17% stake. the book chain's shares nearly doubled with the news of this spin-off. and have you ever wished you could travel on a replica of the "titanic"? well, an australian billionaire could finally give you that chance if you so desire. mining tycoon clive palmer has commissioned a chinese shipyard

to build a luxury liner matching till-fated "titanic" in every detail, except including some modern technology, which could have helped them last time around. john? >> uh, yeah. there's nothing i can say there. you can't be funny. you know, you think you're going to be funny, but -- >> i don't think you're going to be buying a ticket on that one. >> good luck, that's what i'll say. kate, stand by. here's a moment you may have missed. and forget hunger games, the 2012 warrior games have begun. michelle obama jump started the competition today, pumping up more than 200 wounded service men and women. >> i get to see your strength and your determination. i get to see that up close, firsthand, as you tell me that you're not just going to walk again, but you're going to run and you're going to run marathons. >> the men and women are participating in olympic-style events. this year's third annual games. other wounded